This paper concerns the relation between a proof’s beauty and its explanatory power — that is, its capacity to go beyond proving a given theorem to explaining why that theorem holds. Explanatory power and beauty are among the many virtues that mathematicians value and seek in various proofs, and it is important to come to a better understanding of the relations among these virtues. Mathematical...

A person's physical appearance, along with his sexual identity, is the personal characteristic that is most obvious and accessible to others in social interaction. The present experiment was designed to determine whether physically attractive stimulus persons, both male and female, are (a) assumed to possess more socially desirable personality traits than physically unattractive stimulus person...

Imagine your life as a huge flat canvas. Colorless, empty. Dull as ditchwater. Then start playing with it. Put in some undulations, mountains – hard to cross, but with great views from the top. Put in some rivers and seas – dangerous but nourishing and full of adventure. Put in some light and shade, that give shape to the day. Put in some dampness and dry areas, that give seasonal texture. Add ...